Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. Further, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communications to also include the transmission of video and data, such as Internet and multimedia content. Many wireless communication technologies, such as cellular communication technologies, are substantially designed to provide mobile communication capabilities to wireless devices, such as cellular phones. Accordingly, wireless devices are generally powered by a portable power supply, e.g., a battery.
Batteries hold a finite charge, and so in order to improve battery life of wireless devices, one approach is to reduce power consumption required to perform wireless communications. Accordingly, some wireless communication technologies implement features designed to conserve power while still providing a high-quality user experience. One example of such a feature is the capability to operate in a connected-mode with discontinuous reception (C-DRX) in long term evolution (LTE).
In C-DRX according to LTE, a wireless device may monitor the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) at specific intervals, and enter a reduced-power state between those intervals if a sufficient period of inactivity is observed. While this may conserve power under some circumstances, the amount of power savings is highly dependent on traffic patterns, and it is possible that no savings will be realized at all if not enough continuous inactivity is observed. In particular, certain types of traffic patterns, such as bi-directional interactive and multimedia traffic, can negatively impact the length of periods of inactivity between traffic bursts, particularly if uplink and downlink bursts are offset from each other, which may reduce power savings or prevent a wireless device from entering a reduced-power state between bursts at all.
Furthermore, if a wireless device is forced, due to non-synchronous traffic patterns, into operating in a continuous active state, this may not only impact the battery life of the wireless device, but may also cause device temperature to escalate quickly. These problems are further aggravated in areas with low signal strength, such as cell edges, where high transmission power may be required. Accordingly, improvements in wireless communications would be desirable.